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A whale washed up in southern Thailand has died after swallowing more than 80 plastic bags.

Rescuers tried to save the small pilot whale after he was found stranded in a canal near the border with Malaysia.

According to the Thai department of marine and coastal resources, a team attempted to stabilise the whale but were unable to save him. An autopsy later revealed that 80 plastic bags weighing up to 8kg (18lb) were lodged inside the whale’s stomach, making it very difficult for the whale to eat.

The recent Washington State Executive Order and initiation of the Southern Resident Recovery Task Force has already resulted some changes, with new guidelines for the upcoming summer season in the core summer habitat of the endangered Southern Resident orcas.

Blue whales have long been known to frequent the waters around New Zealand but now scientists have discovered that the whales living between the North and South islands appear to be a genetically distinct population.

A survey in 2014 by a team from the Marine Mammal Institute at Oregon State University identified around 50 blue whales in the South Taranaki Bight but it was unclear if these whales were just seasonal visitors or might be there on a more permanent basis.

The dolphins, which are trained to identify underwater obstacles and mines, had been kept at the Cossack Bay aquarium in Sevastopol after falling into Russian hands when Crimea was annexed back in March 2014.

WDC has teamed up with Police Scotland and Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) in a bid to educate watchers on how to stay within the law and other practical guidance relating to the watching of marine wildlife, including whales and dolphins.